American YouTube personality Jimmy Donaldson, popularly known as MrBeast, has retained his position as the world’s highest-earning digital creator on the 2026 Forbes Top Creators list.
The annual ranking, released by Forbes, reveals that the world’s top 50 digital influencers generated a combined gross revenue of $1.02 billion over the past year. This represents a 20 percent increase from the $853 million recorded in 2025 and an 80 percent rise since the list’s inception in 2022. According to the publication, the creator economy has matured into a mainstream entertainment industry that increasingly competes with traditional Hollywood studios.
MrBeast led the global ranking with estimated annual earnings of $300 million, supported by a combined social media following of 873 million across multiple platforms. His media and consumer business operations include Feastables, Lunchly, Viewstats, and a reality competition partnership with Amazon Prime.
Dhar Mann ranked second on the index with estimated earnings of $65 million, followed by British entrepreneur and podcast host Steven Bartlett with $52 million. Gaming creator Markiplier placed fourth with $38 million, while comedy duo Rhett & Link completed the top five with earnings of $37 million. The upper tier of the index also included prominent content creators such as Codie Sanchez, Mark Rober, IShowSpeed, Druski, and Charli D’Amelio.
The financial data compiled by Forbes covers estimated gross earnings between March 2025 and March 2026, while factoring in global audience size, engagement metrics, and entrepreneurial business ventures.
